


Survival [of the Mean]

by ZedElla (Leviarty)



Series: Survival + Snippets [3]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen, Original Character Death(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-10
Updated: 2015-08-10
Packaged: 2018-04-13 23:52:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4542300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leviarty/pseuds/ZedElla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s a statistical principle, one Sheppard probably knows, but he continues explaining anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Survival [of the Mean]

Nearly six months after the Earth fell, someone dies.

It’s not even someone all that important (“They’re all important,” Ronon says, and Radek kicks himself, because no, yes, of course they were all important, he did not mean to imply otherwise), not one of the senior staff, or someone with a particularly high risk.

In fact, Radek didn’t even know Sgt. Seaver’s name until recently, and still had no idea what his first name was.

He knows that his death was stupid and unnecessary and, _Bůh_ , he doesn’t even know how Seaver had gotten himself into such a stupid situation to begin with.

But, while he doesn’t consider the man to have been significant, he knows his death is.

“Regression toward the mean,” he says, though he’s not really sure if Sheppard hears him. It’s a statistical principle, one Sheppard probably knows, but he continues explaining anyway. “Data points gravitate toward the average. The downfall of earth, death of billions, was an enormous outlier. Everything that has happened since was… nature’s way of giving us a break, making up for that disaster.”

They had been uncharacteristically lucky, even when they had been unlucky. Earth was destroyed, but they survived, expanded, found a second city. The Wraith attacked, but had been beaten back at Atlantis took no casualties. Sheppard and a team of marines had been taken by the Wraith, but came back with three ZPMs. The science teams explored dozens of potentially dangerous labs, but no one got zapped by anything fatal (Miko had become slightly magnetic for twelve hours, nothing more than a mild inconvenience, in the scheme of things).

“So Sgt. Seaver is just a data point on one of your charts?” Sheppard asks. He isn’t angry, or snappy, or outwardly irritated. He is tired, and maybe a little lost.

“No, of course not. I am merely saying that things are…”

“Returning to normal,” Sheppard filled in, hanging his head. He gets up from his seat and leaves Radek alone in the briefing room.


End file.
